The present invention relates to various surgical instruments and their methods of use.
Some existing drill/depth guides for surgical applications are cumbersome to use. Certain drill/depth guides have mechanisms for altering the drilling depth of the instrument, but frequently such mechanisms are multi-stage or involve cumbersome and inefficient mechanisms. Further, existing drill/depth guides may provide depth-gauge markings for visual indication of the drilling depth, in addition to hard stops in certain cases for preventing further drilling, but these mechanisms are inefficient at allowing a surgeon to definitively confirm a desired drilling depth has been reached. This is especially true for drilling that is conducted in connection with MIS procedures where visibility is low and in connection with the drilling of harder bone.
Therefore, there exists a need for improved surgical instruments and methods to overcome these deficiencies, including improved drill/depth guides.